Cde's Fundi' With such critical and well thought respose the ruling party and the its alliance can achieve more. The issues of policies is very important in this matter and i agree with you that theis is something that can be revised in just a day. Many were happy to hear that the ANC welcomed the High ruling and indicated that Mayor Masondo's appeal was against the ANC interests and what it stands for.
With "Nndwamato " arguemets believe me the same people will be disappoited in the ANC. Sometimes we don't always have to be politicaly correct and compromise people's lives. This is matter of life and death hences this case is crucial for every south african. if won it means the entire system of water provision will have to change and the right to water will be fully realised and protected. Cde seems to be in support of all this dangerous city's bylaws wich are pro- business and totally against the poor. I hope that cde will one day understand that it is the ANC which is in power and people will not stop challenging some of the things it does wrong. If people who will try to raise concernrs and try to discuss on this critical issue will always be seen as Anti- ANC then we are in trouble. My involvement in this water struggle is also my contribution in making sure that better life for all truely gives a true meaning to everyone. put aside party politics. On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Fundi Nzimande <[email protected]> wrote: > > With due respect Comrade, I do not think that an ANC led > Metro should be appealing the court ruling. It goes against > what the ANC and those of us who love that organisation > stand for. I do not think that the Dept of Finance and the > Dept of Water Affairs and Forestry should be supporting the > appeal. What informs the position that poor people must get > prepaid water meters or else bugger off? What informs these > government structures that they should support such a > position if it is not informed by ANC policy? Clearly the > agenda set by the 1996 Class Project has come back to bite > the current ANC. If that is the case this matter has to be > corrected. Policy such as that contained in the indigent > policy was created by human beings. The decision to appeal > was taken by human beings. The decision to withdraw can > still be taken by the same human beings if they are still > guided by ANC policy and if they are still fulfilling the > mandate set for government by the leading party in > government which is the ANC and if they care about all the > people of South Africa. I am annoyed by those people who > seem to think that poor people will be prepared to get > water from the neighbours' taps, get their food through > scavenging in the dustbins of the wealthy, or that their > children will only eat at school if no-one steals their > lunch money (funding for school nutrirtion) as it happened > in the Eastern Cape with impunity. This situation is not > sustainable. Even this indigent policy is being challenged > by the very people who should be championing it. > > The only question we should be asking ourselves is, " How > are we going to ensure that poor people can access basic > services like water, electricity, education, health and > safety?" When we ask that question the answers will come. > If we want to lock them out we will ask the kinds of > questions you are asking which, by their very nature are > designed to obfuscate issues and thus keep other people out > of the service loop. If we invest properly today, to ensure > that we eliminate poverty, ignorance and disease these > questions brought about by poverty and inequality may never > arise in the future. BUT because we keep buying into > neoliberal agendas which have spawned the worst economic > crisis in 80 years, we'll keep having to deal with these > problems over and over again. > On Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:04:20 +0200 > "Nndwamato Mutshidza" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I think we need to provide clarity here such that people > > should understand the functioning of the sphere of > > Governance (national, Provincial and Local). You see > > comrades it is within the constitutional provision for > > supply of basic services. However Municipalities are > > required to develop the indigent policies on how this > > basic services should accessed. In this process public > > hearing and held before the Bylaws are passed. It is > > important to provide this background such that we could > > not just send wrong aspersion that we are making empty > > promises relating to basic services. One of the pillar of > > our priority is the rollout of Infrastructure services > > relating to Water, Energy, Transport and Logistics to > > ensure that this services are provided to the correct > > people (Indigent). You see the principle which the ANC > > accept is that among us there are people who are supposed > > to pay for this services and there are those that should > > enjoy the Free Services (Water, Electricity, etc). For > > example at national level the policy talks to provision > > of 50KWh per months as free basic electricity (Minimum > > Standard) but the Local Sphere depending on its capacity > > may elect to increase just like what City of Tshwane did > > and increase to 100KWh per month. This was done through > > their own Indigent policy. > > > > The same analogy, tell me that the City of Jo'burg has an > > Indigent Policy which states the level of intervention it > > ought to provide to its own citizen. The issue here is > > that this are Local government Jurisdiction areas and > > these services could only be provided by the Local > > Government or an Agency through an Executive Decision of > > Council. The Local Government System Act make such a > > requirement (Law) not of the ANC but of the Country and > > in the process to the development of such laws we are all > > encourage to make submissions. I am presenting my point > > to say this are the unintended consequences of our own > > laws. What you see happening is Electricity is that it > > cannot be stored and water can be but unfortunately, > > people in the development of their areas Indigent > > policies are not taking into account the size of a Family > > Household, which differ from Peri-Urban, Urban, Township > > and Rural Areas. Because what the Judgement fails to > > clarify is whether 50 litre is enough for a Household of > > Seven people of for two people? To me the issue is not > > the magnitude of the water to be distributed, it is the > > potential risk of trying to apply a one size fit all > > approach when providing this service.The question is why > > Tshwane on Electricity provided a differentiated > > approach? Why Jo'burg cannot develop its own policy that > > recognise the vast difference in culture across its own > > area of supply? > > > > After painting such a background I think I could also > > present that the road towards a better life for all could > > not be easier one. The infrastructure to ensure that > > those services are provided is not there. We highly > > depend on the Lesotho Highland dam for the Supply and > > only the State facilitate such Transaction in which > > uMgeni Waters, Jo'burg Water and other Bulk Supplier of > > Water could trade and sell this water to our Local > > Sphere. The process which I am presenting is that we( > > ANC) or State does not own any of this Agencies but are > > Shareholders to enable that the price remain as low as > > possible. The other realisation and not based on > > untested propaganda for Cholera is that we proud that in > > this country you could move to a tap and got drinkable > > water which is the opposite in most Developing and other > > Industrialised Countries. My take being that the answer > > to provide such service is not as easier is done. Beside, > > how will you tell if you are providing such services if > > you cannot measure that. There is no way that Jo'burg > > could go public and claim we are providing free basic > > water and when we ask where can we measure such and not > > able to get a an answer. The Judge who declare prepaid > > meters illegal was drunk and Science tell that tomorrow > > another group of Citizen could claim we are not provided > > with services due to the fact that there are no > > measurements. Beside Jo'burg should report on how it uses > > it Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation > > relating to Bulk Services and that accounted in terms of > > quantity delivered and the cost it has costed to deliver > > and what revenue was collected to affording and what was > > used for Indigent and at What Cross-Subsidy level was > > that done? It is this same reasons we are providing that > > the City of Jo'burg has to explore before implementing > > and are these reason that led them to challenge the court > > ruling. > > > > The point relating to Privatisation, is an ideological on > > its own and we could engage until relating to the path > > South Africa took to avoid a total collapse of the State > > and its own Agencies. I think it was correct to partially > > privatise in order to raise Capital from Offshore Markets > > but keep the State intervention on course using the > > Shareholding Compact with these Agencies. I would like > > you to tell us how do you suggest the State to get Water > > from Lesotho, Inga (DRC) without laying Pipelines that > > requires massive capital Injection and at the same time > > fight with other pillars of Poverty? I would further like > > to be clarified as to who should pay for these services? > > The Tax Payers or the users of the Services? What > > Government interventions measures should be employed > > towards Indigent Citizens? I am possing these questions > > to illustrate the complexity of arriving at the simple > > solution which is not open for challenge by others. I am > > not prepared to pay for water to be used by Eskom in its > > own Generation Business but I am prepared to pay for > > Electricity price that recognise the Cost of Primary > > Energy. I am not prepared to pay for water used elsewhere > > but for the water I used and then the price if its high, > > should cross-subsidise the Indigent. The approach you > > raise here assume that all of us should pay for the > > services even if we do not have such services through > > Tax, which in unacceptable. > > Hence this Cholera issue is unfounded and could not be > > used to justify the point here in actual fact is out of > > context. I hardly buy bottled water for drinking and > > drink from the tap like most of my Villagers people does > > and there is no Cholera. What I find very problematic in > > this piece of document is the fact that there is no > > mentioning of what people from Rural area are exposed to > > when they could spend a week without water from the tap > > which is the main cause of Cholera not running water > > which people in cities enjoy. Hence my point is that we > > should give our government space to implement its > > Infrastructure rollout programme and then evaluate. > > > > After my own analogy, I do not think we should want to > > enter into a debate that seeks to assume that our own ANC > > promise for FBE, FBAE and FWater is correct. The ANC in > > the process leading to the development of our Manifesto, > > which what we are promising people was based on what > > people said we should prioritise and as such, Water > > Access, we have reached 88% and Electricity 80% and in > > terms of Access to free portion of this services we are > > 60%. Hence you could not see them being major priority. > > What is our priority is to Guarantee Supply of these > > services. Hence in doing so we should embark on the > > rollout of Infrastructure to enable us to provide > > Qualitative services. Hence this campaign should be > > directed at the respective Local Government Sphere > > (Jo'burg) and not elevated to national Status. Because > > Nationally the Stats could tell you that we are > > progressing well. > > An Agenda that seeks to divert our immediate task of > > ensuring a decisive Victory is mislocated. > > > > I remain, > > > > -- > > This message is subject to the CSIR's copyright terms and > > conditions, e-mail legal notice, and implemented Open > > Document Format (ODF) standard. > > The full disclaimer details can be found at > > http://www.csir.co.za/disclaimer.html. > > > > This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous > > content by MailScanner, > > and is believed to be clean. MailScanner thanks Transtec > > Computers for their support. > > > > > > > > > > > Fundi Nzimande > Mphephethwa Projects cc > (011) 646 6403 > Fx:(011) 646 6413 > 083 729 0212 > > > > _______________________________________________________________________________________ > "EAST RAND SECURITY EXPO NOW ON" > > > http://www.swiftsms.co.za/swiftT/track.asp?e=*em*&cid=113&u=8&tid=2011 > > > > > > > -- Patrick "Patra" Sindane Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP)-South Africa 123 Vogas House,6th floor,pritchard&mooi street. Organiser Mobile: 073 052 7005 Office : 011 333 8334 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . 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